Nothing has fundamentally changed for winter quarter with regard to financial aid, according to Sandy Meadows, the assistant director of Financial Aid.<\/p>\n
The only new change is a minor one that applies to students transferring to Sinclair, Meadows said.\u00a0 Students transferring into the college are now required to meet with an academic advisor.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe used to ask for them to do that after a certain number of quarters or credit hours,\u201d Meadows said.\u00a0 \u201cNow we ask for that upfront, because we need to know how many of the transfer hours they\u2019re bringing in are actually going to be used here at Sinclair.\u201d<\/p>\n
The guarantee date for students is Nov. 15.\u00a0 Having the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and any other financial aid documents requested by the Financial Aid office turned in by that date guarantees the financial aid office will have a response for you by Dec. 17.<\/p>\n
Meadows said that the office isn’t guaranteeing aid.\u00a0 They only guarantee that everything is filed.<\/p>\n
Meadows said because of the busy periods the office always faces, she recommends students start the process early.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re up 50 percent in applications,\u201d Meadows said.\u00a0 \u201cWe knew the volume would increase.\u00a0 But people should always start early.\u201d<\/p>\n
The office will still attempt to process a student\u2019s financial aid information if they miss the date, but there is no guarantee the student will have a response before quarterly payment is due, according to Meadows.<\/p>\n
Once a student turns in their FAFSA, they should contact the financial aid office after a few days to see if they need additional documents from the student, Meadows said.\u00a0 Sometimes they might need a tax return, a social security card or something similar.<\/p>\n